All articles by Bhuvan Lall – Page 3
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2004: Indian film rides big budget wave
The year was marked by the release of several high-budgetfilms such as the $9m Kisna, producedand directed by Subhash Ghai, and the $7m Indian-UK historical epic TheRising, directed by Ketan Mehta.The industry also endured controversies including the sackingof Anupam Kher as the head of the Indian censors for clearing two ...
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Beautiful City triumphs at India Film Festival
Iranian film-maker Asghar Farhadi's The Beautiful Citywalked away with the top prize, the Golden Peacock, in the Asian competitivesection of International Film Festival of India which concluded in Goa onDecember 9.The film is the story of a sixteen year old murderer who hasreceivedthe death penalty but is being held in ...
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Times Of India Group moves into film production
India's largest media company, The Times of India Group,has moved into film production, backing English language feature Being Cyrus.Directed and co-written by Homi Adajania, the film isbilled as a cross between a psychological drama and a comedy in which a dopesmoking retired sculptor, who lives in a secluded Indian hill ...
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Stone's Alexander to close India film festival
Oliver Stone's epic Alexander is to close the International Film Festival of India(IFFI) in Goa (Nov 29-Dec 9)The festival is scheduled to open with Mira Nair's VanityFair and more than 250 films will screen intotal.The festival will feature seven major sections: AsianCompetition, Cinema of the World, Indian and Foreign Retrospectives, ...
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More foreign productions choosing to shoot in India
Hollywood-based production company 8X Entertainment has begun shooting historical epic One NightWith The King, in the Indian city of Jodhpur.The cast includes Peter O'Toole (the Prophet Samuel), OmarSharif (Prince Memucan), John Rhys-Davies as Mordecai and John Noble as PrinceAdmanthaOne Night With TheKing is a multi-million dollar epic which chronicles the ...
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Festival of India to honour Amritraj
Indian born Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj, Chairman andCEO of Hyde Park Entertainment is to be honoured at the International FilmFestival of India being held in Goa (Nov 29 - Dec 9).The festival will screen five of his recent films in asection called Spotlight on Ashok Amritraj, an Indian Success Story ...
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Vanity Fair to open India film festival
The 35th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) (Nov29-Dec 9) will open with Vanity Fair, directed by Indian born film-makerMira Nair. The government backed film festival is being held in Goa for thefirst time.Neelam Kapur, director of the film festival told ScreenDaily.com,"IFFI will reflect India's identity in the world of ...
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Indian government sacks film censor
The head of India's FilmCertification board Anupam Kher has been sacked by the government and replacedby actress Sharmila Tagore.Appointed for a three-year tenure,Kher has been chief censor for just one year and had recently cleared twocontroversial films, a documentary on the Gujarat riots, Final Solutionsby Rakesh Sharma, and Michael Moore's ...
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India picks Shwaas for Oscar race
Shwaas, a film directed by 36-year-old debutant SandeepSawant will be the official Indian entry for the Oscars.The film is a drama about a villager, played by Arun Nalawade,who brings his ailing grandson to the town hospital, . There he learns that thechild must undergo a life-saving operation, which may leave ...
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India mulls production fund with tax incentives
India's government is considering setting up a $45m seed fund to finance its national film sector.A government committee, headed by N. K. Singh, has proposed a venture capital fund that would be managed through an asset management company based in India, with all contributions made to the fund to be ...
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Pakistan considers lifting Indian film ban
Pakistan's Ministry of Culture is likely to take the radical decision to allow the screening of Indian films, on a selective basis.An outline of what type of films are to be released for screening is being prepared for the cabinet's approval. Currently there are no theatrical releases of Indian films ...
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Aishwariya Rai outlines World vision
Indian cinema's highest paid actress and former Miss WorldAishwariya Rai is to star in Roland Joffe's next film Singularityalongside Brendan Fraser.The film, previously titled The Invaders and with areported budget of $40m, revolves around the first battle between Englishinvaders and the Maratha dynasty from Western India. It begins shooting inSeptember ...
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Film festival of India announces dates
The International Film Festival of India, (IFFI) hasannounced that it will be held from 29th November to 9th December in Goa thecoastal state south of Mumbai.Ms. Neelam Kapur, director, IFFI told ScreenDaily.com,"This is to be the permanent venue for our festival which earlier used totravel in the major cities of ...
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Brooks scouting locations in India
American comic actor Albert Brooks is currently in Delhifinalising locations for his next untitled film.Brooks, who is planning a very "Bollywood" type of film, butwithout the song and dance elements, is keen to hire an Indian actress to actopposite him.Brooks told ScreenDaily.com, "I am looking forward toshooting this comedy film ...
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India gears up for Summer box office bonanza
April 30th sees India'ssummer movie season kick off with the release of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer theUS$5m Main Hoon Na.The film, which is beingreleased by Eros Entertainment, marks the debut of director Farah Khan whochoreographed Bombay Dreams. Thecast features Suniel Shetty, former Miss India and Miss Universe (1994)Sushmita Sen, Zayed Khan, ...
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India-Pakistan co-productions becoming a reality
The Indian and Pakistani film industries having begun working together, in a move that echoes the growing political dialogue between rival countries.Pakistan-based film and TV star Rashid Khawaja and Punjabi film producer Iqbal Dhillon have announced a co-production, Village Girl (Pind Dee Kuri), between the two countries. The film is ...
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India braces for The Passion on May 15
Deepak Nayar'sKintop Pictures has scheduled the Indian release of Mel Gibson's The PassionOf The Christ for May 15and has already begun a publicity blitz over the Easter weekend with brochuresdistributed in churches across the sub-continent and special screenings heldfor church groups."We will release50 prints of The Passion Of The Christ ...
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Period epic Kisna wraps Himalayan shoot
Hindi film producer-director Subhash Ghai has completed a forty-day shoot of his period epic Kisna in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas.The US$5m Kisna is the most expensive film made by Ghai's Mukta Arts. The company's credits include Taal, which was the first Indian film to feature in both the ...
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Mira Nair hatches film deal with Indian poultry giant
Mira Nair's Mirabai Films has announced a partnership with Indian poultry giant Balaji Rao's Bala Entertainment to establish a film production company that will create independent Asian cinema for the world market.The new production company, International Bhenji Brigade, is looking at producing three South Asian or Asian diaspora films over ...
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Top producers launch Indian awards ceremony
Indian producers body the Film Producers Guild of India is to launch its own awards ceremony next month.The nominees for the first Apsara FPGI Awards will be announced on May 5 with prizes to be unveiled at a ceremony in Mumbai on May 29.The 50-year old Guild has 153 by-invitation-only ...